Minneapolis – The Gustavus softball team experience an offensive explosion the likes of which it hasn’t seen yet this season in a sweep of Augsburg College on Wednesday afternoon at Edor Neslon Field. The Gusties defeated the Auggies 12-2 in six innings in game one and then completed the sweep with an 11-0 victory in six innings in game two.
With today’s wins, Gustavus secures its third place position in the conference standings at 25-13 overall and 15-5 in the MIAC. Augsburg drops to 9-29 overall and 3-17 in the MIAC.
The Gustavus softball team will finish off its MIAC schedule with a twin bill against Hamline University on Saturday, April 25 in St. Peter. First pitch of game one is set for 1:00 p.m.
Game One Recap
The Gusties jumped out to an early lead in game one with three runs in the first inning and one more in the second to go up 4-1. Nathalee Boissiere (Jr., Plymouth, Minn.) delivered a three-run double in the first, and Kaitlyn Bicek (Jr., Northfield, Minn.) brought in a run with a single in the second.
After Augsburg cut the lead in half (4-2) with two runs in the bottom of the fourth, Gustavus responded with three runs in the fifth and five runs in the sixth to bring the game to a final at 12-2. Kailey Morgan (Sr., Mound, Minn.) knocked out a two-run home run, and Jena Willis (So., Glacier, Mont.) supplied a one-run single in the fifth. Paige Breneman (Sr., Sherburn, Minn.), Willis, and Amber Hoffman (Jr., New Prague, Minn.) all brought in runs in the sixth.
Morgan, Willis, and Bicek registered multiple-hit games in Gustavus’s 11-hit effort. Morgan went 2-for-4 with two runs and two RBI, Willis went 2-for-4 with one run and two RBI, and Bicek went 2-for-3 with a RBI. Breneman added to the mix by going 1-for-2 with two walks, three runs, and a RBI.
Hannah Heacox (So., Stillwater, Minn.) went all six innings to pick up her sixth straight win and improve to 11-3 on the season. She didn’t allow an earned run and matched her season-high strikeout total with 13.
Game Two Recap
Gustavus’s offensive eruption continued immediately in the nightcap as the Gusties scored five runs in the first and another in the second to go up 6-0. Gustavus’s five first inning runs were the result of three home runs. Carly Klass (Sr., Richfield, Minn.) ripped a three-run bomb, and then Kailey Morgan and Paige Breneman hit back-to-back solo shots. Morgan went back to work in the second inning and drove in the team’s sixth run with a double.
The Gusties later added a run in the fifth on a Addy Nelsen (Jr., Willmar, Minn.) single, and four more runs in the sixth thanks to a two-run single by Morgan and a two-run single by Jessica Neuman (Fy., Elk River, Minn.).
Kailey Morgan’s standout stat line read; 3-for-3 with a home run, double, two runs, and four RBI.
As a team, the Gusties received 13 hits from a total of 10 players. Willis had back-to-back multiple-hit games by going 2-for-2 with a double. Klass drove in three runs and scored twice, while Shelby Nosan (Sr., Baudette, Minn.), Kaitlyn Bicek, and Jessica Williams (Jr., Plymouth, Minn.) all scored two runs.
Sarah Rozell (Sr., Lakeville, Minn.) got back on the winning track with a six inning shutout. She allowed just three hits and struck out six to improve 8-6 on the year.